Along with his coach, Amy Sherman, the host of "The Great
American Brew Trail," as well as MLive reporter Fritz Klug and a panel of three
local beer experts – Joel Kamp from Pigeon Hill Brewing Co., Dan Hain from
Fetch Brewing Co. and Eric Hoffman from Unruly Brewing Co. – Gonzo on Monday, Sept. 16 visited Old
Boys' Brewhouse, which won a local poll for the best brewery in the Muskegon
area.

The visit was his fifth and last brewery visit of the day.
Earlier, he stopped at breweries in Traverse City, Ludington and Grand Haven.
The visits were part of Gonzo's search for "Michigan's Best Brewery," which
will take him to 38 breweries across the state.

While a bartender prepared flights of beer for the group, Old
Boys' served a variety of appetizers and desserts that incorporated the brewery's
beer and ingredients, like the pretzel breadsticks that were served with beer
cheese made out of the Kolsch.

Other snacks included beer brittle made with the Kolsch and
the Chili-Peach Lager, malted chocolate chip cookies and a vanilla brewer's
malt ice cream, which were originally made in-house but outsourced to Sweet Temptations in Grand Haven because demand was so high, said bartender
and brewmaster's assistant Dave Bradford.

A few of the beers we drank

Kennel King Imperial IPA — 8.1% ABV, 109 IBUs Despite its high IBUs, the beer seemed smooth and not as bitter as Sherman and Gonzo would have expected

"Aren't they the bomb?" Sherman exclaimed. "They're
awesome, and that cheese dip is freaking good! These were a great bar snack."

The beers also impressed them. The Kennel King Imperial IPA
was one of their favorites, they said.

"The Imperial IPA – that was really nice," Sherman said. "It
was complex, but it drank really smooth."

It was also one of the most surprising beers, they said.
According to the brewery, the Imperial IPA had 109 international bittering units,
or IBUs. IBUs, Sherman said, are a measurement of bitterness and show how much
hops were put into the beer. Typically, a higher IBU indicates a bitterer beer.

But not so with Old Boys' IPA, Sherman and Gonzo said.

"109 IBUs – that's freaking crazy high, but it didn't drink
like that at all. It drank so smooth," Sherman said.

"It surprised both of us, because it was drinkable," Gonzo
said. "Sometimes when they get so strong like that, you can maybe have one and
you're done."

Gonzo and Sherman said they enjoyed their visit.

"I had a great time – great food, great people," Gonzo said,
adding that he hadn't been to Old Boys in about five or six years.

Sherman called Old Boys "fun" and "funky." She said she
especially liked the photos of customers' dogs.

"That's very personal, so it's a great draw for customers to
come see their dog," Sherman said.

Gonzo and Sherman will continue to their ambitious brewery
tour until Sept. 22. Shortly afterwards, Gonzo will compile a top-10 list based
on his experiences at the breweries and publish it on MLive.